The present invention relates to an optical disk and a recording and reproduction apparatus for use with it, and more particularly to an optical disk having on a part of the disk a recording and reproduction unit differing from the optical disk recording medium to permit early reading of information by the recording and reproduction apparatus.
In recent years, various systems using mass producible and highly reliable optical disks as the recording and reproduction medium have become commercially available. Typical examples include compact disks (CD) which are optical disks for music, digital video disks (DVD) which are optical disks for movies or video and other audiovisual material, and CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs for use on a computer for application software, game software and various data recording. There also are optical disk-based writable or rewritable optical recording media such as MOs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVD-RAMs and DVD-RWs for backup recording of personal and business information.
Any of these optical disk media becomes capable of recording and reproduction only when it is loaded into a recording and reproduction apparatus and, after the disk is revolving at a prescribed speed of revolution, an optical head moves to a prescribed recording or reproducing position. Therefore, before recording or reproduction is started, revolution control to accelerate to the prescribed speed and control of seeking, focusing and tracking are necessary to bring the optical head to the prescribed position, all of which requires considerable time. These troublesome control procedures are necessary before actual reproduction or recording, even if it is desired only to reproduce or record contents recorded or to be recorded on the disk, such as disk management information or catalog information.
The configuration of such optical disks as CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs and DVD-ROMs, which are manufactured by the molding of plastic sheets, permits data-recorded disks to be available at low cost, but they are read only disks which allow no subsequent recording of data on them. It is therefore difficult or impossible to process data on the disk and record the result of the processing on the disk for storage, or to record and store the number of times the disk has been used. Accordingly such disks are inconvenient when it is desired to record the result of a game or the like, or to use them for an information management system to limit the use of application software, or to limit the number of times musical or audiovisual information is played back.
It is possible to form a rewritable recording medium on a part of the disk and provide storage for record management information there, but recording requires an optical head of a higher quality than that of a playback only apparatus, resulting in a more expensive recording and reproduction apparatus. Furthermore, even if the disk is made of a rewritable recording medium, there remains the aforementioned disadvantage that disk management information cannot be read or written until the disk attains the desired speed of revolution.
For backup recording of personal or business information, there are writable or rewritable optical recording media using an optical disk such as MO, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM or DVD-RW. Even with such a recording disk, however, the user must have the disk spinning and, after carrying out prescribed controls, read the catalog information on the disk to check the information recorded. Therefore, for the user to identify the recorded contents, he or she has to take the trouble of writing the recorded contents on the label, or use the disk and wait until the information becomes readable.
On the other hand, one way to accomplish information management and content checking of main information on media other than that for the recording of main information, there is a system by which, for instance, a semiconductor memory is mounted on a magnetic tape cartridge and information management and content checking for the magnetic tape is accomplished with that semiconductor memory. In this case, however, because the semiconductor memory is disposed in the cartridge body, accessing data in the semiconductor memory is carried out by bringing the semiconductor memory into direct contact with a sensor. Therefore, although it is possible to apply this system and mount, for instance, a semiconductor memory on the disk, the method of information transfer is difficult to design because the semiconductor memory itself also will be spinning.
Furthermore, even such information as could be immediately found upon insertion of a disk into a player, if the disk is contained in a cartridge for recording-inhibited (REC inhibit) information or the like, by manipulating a mechanical switch provided as part of a cartridge, information can only be known after the disk has undergone revolution control if it is a bare disk, not contained in a cartridge.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk, together with a recording and reproduction apparatus for using it. In a preferred embodiment of this system, the disk is a low cost playback only optical disk for recording a large quantity of data, manufactured by molding a plastic sheet, such as a CD, CD-ROM, DVD or DVD-ROM. The disk permits subsequent recording of management information and reproduction of the recorded management information for use with an information management system with information recorded on the disk. This does not allow recording of additional information, such as a game, application software, music, video, movie or the like. It does, however, permit recording, for example, to store results of a game, to limit the use of the application software, or to restrict the number of times the music or video information etc. is played back. Another object of the invention is to provide an optical disk, together with a recording and reproduction apparatus for using it, which enables the user, for backup recording of personal information, to easily check what information its recorded on a rewritable optical recording medium using an optical disk such as MO, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM or DVD-RW. The invention makes it possible to achieve these objects by mounting a storage device (herein often xe2x80x9cstoragexe2x80x9d) for recording management information and catalog information on a part of the optical disk, and to easily and reliably record or reproduce the management information and catalog information enabling checking of the information before the disk begins to revolve.
To provide these benefits, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the storage is mounted on or within the optical disk, to provide a recording medium for recording management or catalog information regarding the main information. Typically an integrated circuit (IC) chip formed by, for instance, a semiconductor process or the like is used for this additional storage. Further, the storage has, in addition, a signal processing unit for subjecting management information for the main stored information, and catalog information transferred from outside the disk, to signal processing, thereby converting them into data to be recorded. A memory unit is provided for recording the data to be recorded, as is a built-in controller for instructing and managing the recording, reproduction. For example, according to the contents of information, the storage can assist in judging and managing the way the main information is used by limiting the number of times the main information is reproduced. Also, because the IC chip is a circuit formed by a semiconductor process, an electromagnetic coupler can be either built into, or arranged adjacent to, the IC chip as a means to supply power to the circuits within the IC. Alternatively, the electromagnetic coupler can be arranged on the disc in a circular or spiral shape.
The chip further typically includes a built-in rectifier for converting the received signals into DC electrical power. As a means to communicate the management information between the optical disk and the recording and reproduction apparatus, an electromagnetic coupler, such as an antenna, can be either built into or arranged adjacently as a transmitter and receiver. Alternatively, it can be arranged on the disc in one or more turns in a circular or spiral shape.
As part of the recording/reproducing apparatus, there is also provided a communication unit for performing transmission/reception with the storage with an electromagnetic coupler. The communication unit is mounted with a transmitter/receiver for recording/reproducing the management information and catalog information stored on the disk.
To accomplish recording or reproduction of information to or from the storage before the disk revolves, a tray or a fitting aid member such as a disk holding member, is arranged on a disk turning device in the recording and reproducing apparatus. This enables the user to readily mount the disk and have information recorded into or reproduced from the storage. This process can be triggered by the opening/closing mechanism or by a disk loading mechanism for pulling the fitting aid member out of the recording and reproduction apparatus. Thus, as soon as the tray on which the disk is placed, or the disk holding member is pulled out, power supply to the disk is started on the basis of the information. After the storage on the disk becomes ready to record or reproduce, the management information and catalog information for the main information recorded on the storage is reproduced or recorded. During this time, the disk itself is placed on the tray, and the pulled out tray is inserted into the recording and reproduction apparatus by the disk loading mechanism to place the disk on a turntable.
Then, after the disk is clamped for rotation, a motor spins the disk, focusing and tracking control is performed, and the information is recorded into or reproduced from the recording medium. During the aforementioned control period, the management information or catalog data written in the storage are conveyed to the recording and reproduction apparatus or to the user. Using this information, according to its contents, before the servo controls are completed, the recording and reproduction apparatus or the user can determine that the disk does not permit recording, or other control information can be communicated to the user who can eject the disk or take other action. Alternatively, if it is a playback-restricted disk, the system can update the number of times the disk is permitted to be played, resulting in improved operational capability.
Whereas the foregoing description refers to a method by which recording and reproduction of information in the storage on the disk is triggered by the start of the operation of the disk loading mechanism, an alternative method has a disk detector mounted in a prescribed position on the pulled-out tray or in a prescribed position in the recording and reproduction apparatus. The disk detector detects the mounting of the disk on the tray, its insertion into the recording and reproduction apparatus or the mounting of the disk on the turntable, and this detection triggers the start of information flow into or from the storage. As this method ensures that the start of transfer of information into or from the storage follows the secure mounting of the disk by the user, the electric connection between the recording and reproduction apparatus and the storage is reliably accomplished.